Method and apparatus for simulating games of chance with cards

ABSTRACT

A method and system for simulating games of chance using cards are disclosed using a shuffler to shuffle a set of cards and dispensing one or more cards. Current regulations prohibit certain game operators from using certain games such as traditional craps and roulette. By simulating those games with cards, operators can still provide players with games they recognize and thereby develop excitement and new gaming alternatives for their players, as well as draw players new players to such games through their familiarity with the indicia on the cards.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of, and incorporates by reference intheir entirety, U.S. provisional Application No. 60/307,507, filed onJul. 23, 2001; No. 60/334,695, filed Nov. 15, 2001; No. 60/333,973,filed Nov. 19, 2001; No. 60/339,067, filed Dec. 6, 2001; No. 60/338,977;filed Dec. 6, 2001; No. 60/370,263, filed on Apr. 5, 2002; and is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/202,222,filed Jul. 23, 2002, and set to issue as U.S. Pat. No., 7,201,656 onApr. 10, 2007, each of which is also hereby expressly incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to the field of games of chance, andspecifically to simulating such games with cards.

2. Description of the Related Art

Games of chance are exceedingly popular in many geographic locations andover widely varied socioeconomic groups. Due to various restrictions onthe types of games of chance that are allowed in certain locales, somegames of chance may not be played in those areas. One such restrictionis the limitation by some governments on the practice of games of chancethat utilize dice to determine the outcome of the game. Such arestriction prevents those subject to it from playing games such as“craps.” In craps, a shooter throws a pair of dice, while players,including the shooter, bet on the various possible outcomes of eachthrow of the dice. Other games may be restricted by local regulations orpractices as well.

Approaches have been provided to attempt to simulate the game of crapsutilizing cards, machines that select numbered balls such as thoseutilized in state lotteries or some bingo games, and random numberselection devices such as microprocessors. The difficulty inimplementing any of the current systems and methods available is thatthey do not correctly simulate the odds available in the games they areattempting to simulate. Furthermore, current systems and methods are toocumbersome and interfere with the natural flow of the game they aretrying to simulate, or lack the player interaction and therefore theexcitement or exhilaration of the game they are trying to simulate.Because of these drawbacks, the current systems and methods lack theinterest or drawing power of the games they are attempting to simulate.Therefore, what is needed is a way to accurately simulate many of theexisting games of chance including the odds available, the excitement,and the drawing power. Additionally, what is needed is a system ormethod of incorporating the advantageous paradigms of standard playingcards into existing games of chance while simulating those games ofchance to provide an improved gaming experience for players and gameoperators.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of an example of a game table that canbe used in a card game simulating the game of craps.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an automatic card shuffler from theprior art that can be utilized in one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view drawing of an example of a game table that can beused in a card game simulating the game of craps.

FIG. 3 a is a top view drawing of an alternative game table that can beused in a card game simulating the game of craps.

FIG. 4 is a top view drawing of an example of a game table that can beused in a card game simulating the game of roulette.

FIG. 4 a is a top view drawing of an alternate game table that can beused in a card game simulating the game of roulette.

FIG. 5 is a top view drawing of an example of a set of cards that can beused in a game utilizing cards to simulate roulette.

FIG. 6 is a top view drawing of an alternative betting area that can beused in games of chance using cards in one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a top view drawing of an alternative betting area that can beused in games of chance using cards in one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a top view drawing of types of cards that can be used tosimulate outcomes in one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elementsthroughout. The terminology used in the description presented herein isnot intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive mannersimply because it is being utilized in conjunction with a detaileddescription of certain specific embodiments of the invention.Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may include several novelfeatures, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes or which is essential to practicing the inventions hereindescribed. This description includes much of the disclosure of relatedapplications U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/307,507 filed on Jul.23, 2001, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/334,695 filed on Nov. 15,2001, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/333,973 filed on Nov. 19,2001, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/338,977 filed on Dec. 6, 2001,and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/339,067 filed on Dec. 6, 2001,and those applications are incorporated herein by reference for all thatthey disclose.

For many casino operators, the constant challenge of keeping theattention and interest of the players, and therefore their attendance,depends in large part on maintaining a high level of excitement andcomfort in the games they are playing. For many casino operators, thischallenge is magnified by regulations preventing the use of certaintypes of games, thus eliminating the opportunity to run games that manyplayers may have a desire to play due to their familiarity with thegames and their excitement For instance, many casinos are currentlyprohibited from operating games that determine the outcome, or winningand losing decisions, by using dice. A very popular game that isprohibited by this regulation is the dice game commonly known as“craps.” Craps is a very popular game in those locales in which it isallowed to be played, and therefore, there is a large demand for it inother locales because so many potential players have developed afamiliarity with the game and the excitement it provides.

In addition, another challenge for casino operators is to generate newgames that might develop excitement in new players and generate newstreams of revenue. If an operator can draw in players who want thegaming excitement provided by existing games but may be intimidated bythe amount of knowledge required to begin playing these games, then thatcasino would recognize a new stream of revenue. Operators can capitalizeon elements from other games that might be familiar to these potentialplayers to allow them to gain confidence and comfort in the new game,thereby expediting the increase in excitement in these players.

Traditional playing cards are remarkably popular and most people have atleast a cursory familiarity with the suits and card denominations usedin card games. Therefore, it may be advantageous to use playing cards tosimulate games prohibited by local regulations both to generate interestof those who are familiar with the games being simulated and to developnew revenue streams in potential players looking for new games to play.Some games that may be simulated using cards include, for example,craps, roulette, and keno, but virtually any game of chance can besimulated to some degree using cards as the determining mechanism

Craps

For the game of craps utilizing cards instead of dice, several methodsof developing determining outcomes, which in this case are cards dealtinstead of dice rolled, are available. Special cards can be used thathave all possible variations of dice outcomes on them. These cards canbe shuffled each time an outcome is required and then one card can bedealt. Alternatively, standard playing cards ace through six can beused. With this second alternative there again are several embodimentsavailable. For instance, one could shuffle two separate decks ofmultiples of six cards and deal them out separately, or one could dealtwo cards from one deck. If this second option is utilized, the odds maybe corrected by reshuffling the cards after each card is dealt, or awildcard can be placed in the deck to take the place of the one alreadydealt. In this manner, the odds of the game are correctly maintainedwhile allowing the cards to be dealt from one deck. If the wild card,which might be a joker, is dealt first, a default rule may be utilizedto restart the game. This default rule can be any rule the game operatorthinks will develop interest and excitement while the deck isreshuffled.

One choice of such a rule is the use of a special joker bet that can beadded to the table to allow players to bet on the joker being drawn. Inthis case the outcome of a joker being drawn is taken as a possibleoutcome while the cards are shuffled for the next draw By using playingcards, suits are provided in addition to the normal numbers. Thestandard suits, namely hearts, diamonds spades and clubs, or any othersuits may be used. The use of suits calls to mind the various handspossible in card games and, therefore, allows the game operator to addnew bets to the craps table, and while any hand can be used for betting,a few examples of such bets will be described below. By using suits,such as the traditional four, in addition to the numbers on cards, eachset of six possible numbered cards in the four suits provides a deck oftwenty-four cards. By using more than one set of cards the game operatorcan lower the odds that the joker will be drawn. This can be done tomanipulate the odds for bets that the joker will be drawn, or to lowerthe probability that the joker will be drawn first, thereby halting playon all bets but the joker bets. The more sets of 24 cards that are usedresults in lower chances of drawing the joker on any particular draw.Additionally the cards can be separated into the different suits and aplayer may choose which suit or suits are to be played for thatparticular hand, thereby simulating the player interaction of thetraditional craps game.

The card game simulating the game of craps can be played on the tableillustrated in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the table 100 has a playerside 105 and a dealer side 110. The player side 105 has a rail 120,which can be a cushion if desired to allow players to rest against thetable 100. In this embodiment, the player side 105 also has severalcontainers 125 (that are located around the perimeter of the player side105) in which chips or other items can be stored. The playing surface ofthe table 100 has many portions to it. In addition to the traditionalbetting areas 130 that are available, the table 100 illustrated in FIG.1 includes a card shuffler 140. The shuffler can be an automaticshuffler or may simply be an area for the dealer to shuffle the playingcards. This location is for illustration only and the shuffler 140 canbe located elsewhere on the table or off of the table.

As mentioned before, the use of cards for determining each outcome canbe accomplished a variety of ways and the type of shuffler 140 or methodof shuffling can be different as well. If an automatic card shuffler 140is utilized as illustrated in FIG. 1, the process of shuffling can besped up thereby lowering delay time between card dealings. Thisminimization of delay time is amplified when multiple sets of cards areused. For example, if 73 cards are used, three sets of cards numberedfrom ace through six in each of the four traditional suits and a joker,then a dealer can simply place the 73 cards in the shuffler and quicklydraw cards for the next playing hand. Some embodiments include anautomatic card shuffler 140 that continuously shuffles the cards withinit and each time one or more cards are dealt from it those cards can beput back in the shuffler 140 after they are used, for shuffling backinto the other cards. Certain embodiments can also employ variousindicators (not shown). One such indicator can be used to inform theplayers and dealers that all of the cards are present in the shuffler140, which may inspire confidence in the players as to the fairness ofthe game. Another indicator that is used by certain embodimentsindicates when the shuffling of the cards is complete. This can signalto the dealers when the next cards can be dealt. The indicators may be alight, or an alphanumeric display, or any sort of display capable ofindicating a certain amount or the condition of the cards in theshuffler 140. One embodiment of the automatic shuffler will include oneor more colored lights (not shown) to function as the indicator.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an automatic card shuffler 200 describedin the prior art that can be utilized. The shuffler 200 illustrated inFIG. 2 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,096 to Grauzer, et al.(“Grauzer”) and the entire disclosure of Grauzer is incorporated hereinby reference. Although the shufflers 200 described by Grauzer arespecifically described and referenced herein, any card shuffler can beused for embodiments of all the games listed herein, and alternatively,embodiments of the invention can employ traditional hand-shuffling anddealing. Certain embodiments of the shufflers 140, 200 illustrated inFIG. 1 and in FIG. 2, respectively, will dispense cards when directed todo so by the dealer to a card dispensing area 205. The cards may bedispensed individually or in groups of more than one. In someembodiments, cards will be dispensed in groups of four to six cards andthe players can determine which two of the cards will be dealt for thehand. The selection of the cards can be many different ways includingfor example, merely choosing, rolling a six sided cube with two each ofthe numbers one through three on its six sides, using a “pai-gow” pokerstyle rolling cup and the cube just described, using a “chuck-a-luck”cage with the cube described above, using “bingo” style balls numberedone through three and an appropriate selector such as a cage, or anyother way of choosing which of the cards will be played. By allowing theplayers to select which two of the four to six cards that are to bedealt, player interaction analogous to the rolling of the dice in crapsis achieved, and therefore, player excitement is developed. After thecards are selected and dealt, those and the rest of the cards that weredispensed are returned to the shuffler card receptacle 210 for shufflingprior to the next cards being dealt. Alternatively, two cards may bedealt by the shuffler 200 for each hand, and then returned to theshuffler when the bets are paid and collected or the hand is otherwisecompleted. This is done to repopulate the set of cards, thereby ensuringcorrect odds with every deal.

The layout of the game is relatively close to that of regular craps andcan be described with reference to FIG. 3, which illustrates oneembodiment of a table layout that can be used to simulate the game ofcraps with cards. In some embodiments, the layout is substantially thesame as a regular craps layout. FIG. 3 illustrates a table having thetraditional betting areas 310 available for standard craps betting andthe use of one shuffler 140. Many embodiments will include betstypically found in casinos for traditional craps such as, Pass Linebets, Come bets, Don't Pass bets, Don't Come bets, Field bets, Hardwaybets, and Place bets among many others. In addition, FIG. 3 illustratesalternate betting areas 320, 325 that are used is some embodiments, andFIG. 3 a includes another alternate betting area 340. Thesenon-traditional bets are possible because of the use of playing cardswith suits or other indicia and a joker, if it is used. The suit bettingarea 320 is used in certain embodiments for betting on the dealt cardsrepresenting a certain one of the suits of cards used There are severalvariations available for such a bet and it is up to the operator of thegame to choose which ones will be used in their games. For instance, thebet can represent the suit of the first card dealt, the second carddealt, that both cards dealt will be that suit, that all of the cardsdispensed for that hand by the shuffler 140 are of that suit, or anyother bet based on the suit or color or other indicia on the card ifother types of cards are used. Additionally, because there exist manydifferent methods of dealing cards, it is possible to bet on the topcard or the last card ejected by the shuffler 140 should the shufflereject all of the cards after a hand is dealt An example of such a bet isfurther described below with respect to the game of roulette.

Still referring to FIGS. 3 and 3 a , another alternate area for bettingis the joker betting area 325 if one or more jokers, or other wildcard,are used. This area allows players to bet on certain outcomes thatinclude the joker being dealt. Again, this may include many variationssuch as the joker being the first card dealt, the second card dealt, orany of the multiple cards dealt by the shuffler 140. These alternatebets are possible by the use of cards having more indicia on them thanjust a value from one through six. Additionally, a game operator mayallow other non-traditional bets that are used in other games besidescraps and such bets would be indicated by corresponding betting areasbeing added to the table layout. Such bets may include that a certainnumber of the next cards dispensed or dealt will represent a flush or astraight or even a straight flush, whether they come in a particularorder or not. Any possible bets that can be tracked can be used becausethe cards are dealt one at a time instead of in pairs as with the dicethrown in traditional craps. The number of cards used will determine theodds of any of these outcomes, and they may be paid in any way seen fitby the operator, such as at a fixed rate or as any progressive jackpotknown in the art. By using such cards players can bet on other thingsthat are familiar to them and thereby, this may add excitement to thegame.

The game may be played as a traditional craps game or some variation ofit as determined by each game operator to add to the revenue generatedby the game or to add to the popularity of the game. In someembodiments, with reference to but not limited to the disclosures ofFIGS. 1, 3, 3 a , a shooter will be assigned for the next play, or “comeout” hand. Bets will be placed for various outcomes in the betting areas310, 320, 325 such as pass line bets, don't pass line bets, joker betssuit bets or any other bets that can be played at this stage. The handis dealt according to the embodiment being employed. If the dealer isdealing from two separate sets of cards, whether they are shuffledautomatically or not, the dealer will either deal the cards one at atime or both at the same time depending on the type of betting allowedin the game, as described above. If the dealer is dealing from one hand,he will deal the selected cards to be played. The selected cards will bedetermined as above, where they can be merely the top two cards on thedeck if shuffling by hand, or selected from the cards dispensed by theshuffler 140. If more than two cards are dispensed by the shuffler, anyof the selection options described above to allow the shooter to selectwhich cards are to be played will be employed. The hand is then dealtand the outcome of the two cards determines what bets are paid and whichbets are lost as well as whether a “point” has been established or not.If a joker is the first card dealt, the joker bets are paid and the restof the bets are pushes; the hand is essentially a dead hand except forthe joker bets. If the joker is the second card dealt, it eitherreplaces the first card dealt or its value and therefore, a pair ofwhatever was the first card dealt is the outcome for the hand.

The embodiments of craps described in the preceding discussion representonly a few of the embodiments that can be used and any variations of thepreceding elements can be used by those skilled in the art to implementany particular embodiment. Other embodiments include the use of variousnumbers of cards by the game operator to affect the odds and theplayability of the game, or the use of multiple shufflers or multiplesets of cards being shuffled while the current cards are being dealt orany other possible combination of the elements described above.Additionally, simulating the game of craps with cards can be done on avideo game such as a personal video game, a game system or machine, avideo poker machine or a video slot machine. All of the varietiesdiscussed above may be programmed into a video game that simulates thegame of craps using cards. Many of these embodiments will utilize asystem having one or more microprocessors, as described below, andmemory along with a video output and an input mechanism. These elementsmay be described as modules for executing the functions necessary tocarry out the embodiments described herein as will be described below.

Roulette

Another game of chance that can be simulated using cards is roulette andFIG. 4 is a top view drawing of an example of a game table 400 that canbe used in a card game simulating the game of roulette. FIG. 4 a is atop view drawing of an alternate game table that can be used. Entraditional roulette, a wheel with thirty-eight sections is spun and aball is dropped into the spinning wheel. When the ball comes to rest inone of the sections, a winning section is thereby provided and the betsthat indicate such an outcome are paid and the bets not indicating suchan outcome are lost. Some issues with the traditional roulette methodexist however. There is always the possibility that the wheel is fixedsuch that the outcome is not always entirely random or somehowinfluenced by the dealer. Such irregularities can be removed by using ashuffled set of cards rather than the roulette wheel and ball. Asmentioned previously with respect to the game of craps, any variety ofdifferent sets of cards can be used to simulate the use of the roulettewheel with the numbers 410 on the betting table 400 being appropriatefor the number of cards used in the games For instance, for the table400 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 4 a , one or more sets of cards numberedone through thirty-six, a zero, a double zero and one or more jokers, orwildcards, can be used to support the bets available on the table.

The cards that are used may contain additional indicia such as the fourstandard suits in traditional playing cards. By the use of such indiciaand one or more jokers, additional bets are available in this game asthey are for craps. A joker betting area 420 is available as an outcomein FIG. 4, and in FIG. 4 a one or more top card betting areas 425 areavailable in embodiments that utilize an automatic shuffler that ejectsall of the cards when the hand is over. The top card is the last cardejected by the shuffler and in the embodiment illustrated, bets can beplaced as to whether that card will be numbered in the upper half or thelower half of the non-zero numbered cards in the deck. Although two topcard bets 425 are indicated in FIG. 4 a , the game operator may chooseany known bet to be utilized as the top card bet. Also available aresuit betting areas 430 where players can bet that the outcome willbelong to one of the suits. As mentioned before, because only one cardis dealt at a time, any number of traditional playing card hands can beused for betting as well. These hands may include any hand available instandard card games or in other games such as, multiple numbers of aparticular value, straight, flush, or any other hand or combination canbe used.

Additionally, many different ways of shuffling the cards may be used.Either a dealer may shuffle the cards used by hand, or one or moreautomatic card shufflers can be used. In some embodiments an automaticcard shuffler (not shown) can be used that either dispenses one card ata time or multiple cards at a time. As described above, playerinteraction can develop more excitement in the players than when it isabsent and, therefore, some embodiments will include such playerinteraction. Some embodiments will have automatic card shufflersdispense multiple cards and a player will select which card is playedThis selection can be by any of the means described above for the gameof craps including means such as a chuck-a-luck cage with a cube havingtwo each of the numbers one through three on its six sides, a pai-gowpoker cup for rolling a similar cube, numbered bingo type balls and aselector for them, or any other type of selector. Alternatively, theplayer could just select the card to be played or could roll a die oruse any other suitable means of selecting which card is played. If, forinstance, the player selects the number two, then the second card wouldbe the card that is played to determine the winning and losing outcomes.

Other dealing methods for certain embodiments allowing for fastdealing-game pace but eliminating player interaction and the additionalrandom selection of a card out of the dealing shoe, is to designate thefirst card out of the shoe cavity as the winning hand or to onlydispense one card to the shoe. With this dealing method, the winningcard does not have to be immediately placed back into the shuffler if ajoker is used, as the joker becomes a wild card and takes the value ofthe first card drawn to effectively keep the card populationstatistically correct (1/38 probability). The remaining cards in theshoe cavity remain in the shoe cavity for a second hand, the second cardcan then be dealt and exposed as the second winning number. After twohands, all of the cards are placed back into the shuffler for continuedgame play. In certain embodiments, if the joker is deal on the firsthand, joker bets win and no other action takes place and the second carddealt becomes the winning hand for the rest of the table. In similarembodiments, if the joker is the second card dealt, the joker bets winand no other action takes place. In other embodiments the joker may betreated like any other card and the rest of the bets lose, while thecards in the shoe are returned to the shuffler. After a card is dealt,and a subsequent card is dealt if the embodiment allows it all cards arethen removed from the shoe cavity and placed back into the shuffler torepopulate the set of cards.

A sample payout schedule for various traditional and non-traditionalbets that is used in certain embodiments is set forth below:

Traditional Bets

Inside Bets:

1. Straight Up or One Number Bet: Pays 35 to 1 Wager on any number from1 to 36, or 0 and 00.

2. Two Numbers: Pays 17 to 1. Place the chip (or chips) on the linebetween two numbers.

3. Three Numbers: Pays 11 to 1, To choose a row of 3 numbers position abet on the line that separates the “inside” and “outside” areas.

4. Four Numbers: Pays 8 to 1. To make this bet, place a wager on afour-number intersection.

5. Five Numbers: Pays 6 to 1. A wager to bet the 00.0, and first row ofthree numbers.

6. Six Numbers: Pays 5 to 1. This bet is placed between two three-numberrows on the line that divides the “inside” and “outside” fields.

Outside Bets:

7. 12-Number Column Bet: Pays 2 to 1. A wager in one of the spots marked“2-1” at the opposite end of zero and double zero.

8. 12-Number Numerical Bet: Pays 2 to 1: Choose between 1st, 2nd, and3rd twelve. A bet on numbers 1 to 12, 13 to 24, or 25 to 36respectively.

9. 18 Numbers Red/Black. Pays 1 to 1. To make this wager, place chip(s)on the red or black diamond.

10. 18 Numbers Odd/Even: Pays 1 to 1.

11. 18 Numbers High/Low: Pays 1 to1.

Non-Traditional Outside Bets:

12. Suit Bet: Betting that one of four suits will be drawn—9 number bet:Pays 3 to 1.

13. Joker Bet: Using one Joker, the odds are 1/77 for two sets of theset of cards 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. The recommended payout is 60 to1.

14. Top Card Bet: A bet that the last card ejected will be 1-18 or19-36. Pays 1 to 1.

Certain embodiments will eject the cards face up to facilitate thisbetting.

As an alternative, the game can be designed as a video game or a videoslot game in addition to a house banked casino card game. This wouldallow the same variety of bets, or plays if it is a non-betting version,available on the table layouts described above or any other layout to beused for the more private setting of a video slot machine, which arepopular with those who feel more comfortable with such machines thanwith the fast-paced gaming tables. Any of the games simulating games ofchance with cards can be further simulated on a video poker machine forthis same reason. As with the embodiments described above, suchelectronic embodiments may consist of various functional modulesfulfilling the various functions of the embodiment as described below.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a set of cards 500 that can be usedfor simulating roulette with cards. The set of cards 500 illustrateddoes not include a joker and embodiments utilizing a joker would addsuch a card to the set. The set of cards 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 showsthat of the cards numbered one through thirty-six, four sets of nine ofthose cards include each of the four suits of traditional playing carsto allow the unique betting available for use in embodiments using suchindicia. While one possible distribution of the suits on the particularnumbered cards is illustrated in this exemplary set of cards 500, anydistribution can be used and the betting odds can be adjusted if thatdistribution is not equal Also, while the set of cards 500 illustratedin FIG. 5 only contains 38 cards, 39 if a joker is added, any number ofsets of cards 500 can be used and the operator may choose to alter thenumbering on the table and on the cards 500 to meet whatever preferencesare determined to be desired.

Keno

Another game of chance that can be simulated using cards is keno. Kenois very popular and uses random number generation to determine winningand losing numbers and combinations of numbers. Typical games includedrawing as many as thirteen or more numbers from a group of numbers oneat a time with the outcome of the selected numbers determining thewinning and losing bets. Before the numbers are drawn, players placebets on various outcomes and after the numbers have been drawn theirbets are tallied and the player is paid or not based on how many betswere winning ones and how many were losing ones. As with roulette andcraps described above, the bets available in keno can be increased ifcards are drawn to select the numbers and in addition to the numbersbeing drawn other indicia are included on the cards. As describedpreviously, embodiments using suits increase the variety of bets thatcan be used by including suit based bets such as flushes among others. Aspecial set of cards can be used to simulate the traditional game ofkeno, with or without the extra indicia, or a standard set of playingcards may be used. In embodiments using standard playing cards, theresulting values selected would be different as there are four suits ofonly thirteen different values of cards in a standard playing deck.However, the different values determined by using standard playing cardsallow unique bets that are familiar to players but are not available intraditional keno. Such bets include a straight flush, a royal flush,pairs, three and four of a kind, and full houses as well as many otherbets.

If the cards are selected from a standard deck of cards, the number ofpossible combinations of 13 sets of numbers drawn is governed by theequation C=(52 choose 13) or 52!/((52−13)!*13!)=635,013,559,600. Fromthis the possibility of any particular event occurring can be decidedand the game operator can select the payout on the odds desired toencourage people, yet maintain a substantially acceptable rate of returnfor the operator. The probability of getting any particular outcome iscomputed by dividing the total number of ways of getting an outcomedivided by the total possible outcomes given above. So for example, theodds of picking all 13 cards drawn is over 635 billion to 1, while theodds of picking 6 of the numbers right should be[52!/((52−6)!*6!)]/635,013,559,600 or about 31,191 to 1.

An example of a payout schedule is given by the following: Results DrawnResults Picked Prize ($) 1 1 3 0 1 0 2 2 12 1 2 0 0 2 0 3 3 45 2 3 1 1 30 0 3 0 4 4 200 3 4 5 2 4 0 1 4 0 0 4 0 5 5 1,000 4 5 20 3 5 0 3 5 0 2 50 1 5 0 0 5 0 6 6 6,500 5 6 75 4 6 0 3 6 0 2 6 0 1 6 0 0 6 0 7 7 15,0006 7 750 5 7 20 4 7 0 3 7 0 2 7 0 1 7 0 0 7 0 8 8 25,000 7 8 5,000 6 8100 5 8 5 4 8 0 3 8 0 2 8 0 1 8 0 0 8 0 9 9 25,000 8 9 10,000 7 9 650 69 50 5 9 5 4 9 0 3 9 0 2 9 0 1 9 0 0 9 0 10 10 25,000 9 10 10,000 8 107,500 7 10 200 6 10 5 5 10 0 4 10 0 3 10 0 2 10 0 1 10 0 0 10 0 11 1125,000 10 11 10,000 9 11 7,500 8 11 2,500 7 11 75 6 11 0 5 11 0 4 11 0 311 0 2 11 0 1 11 0 0 11 0 12 12 25,000 11 12 12,500 10 12 10,000 9 127,500 8 12 750 7 12 20 6 12 0 5 12 0 4 12 0 3 12 0 2 12 0 1 12 0 0 12 013 13 25,000 12 13 15,000 11 13 12,500 10 13 10,000 9 13 3,500 8 13 3007 13 0 6 13 0 5 13 0 4 13 0 3 13 0 2 13 0 1 13 0 0 13 0

This payout table is used in certain embodiments to determine how muchto pay players for correctly picking a certain number of the picks theymake. Accordingly, if a player picks 13 numbers and only 7 of thenumbers are drawn during the game, then the player wins nothing; but if10 of the numbers are drawn, then the player wins 10,000 dollars. Inaddition to odds for how many cards are correctly picked, there can alsobe odds for particular combinations of cards being picked such as two,three or four of a kind of card, a flush, a straight, a full house, astraight flush, a royal flush or more than one of any of these or anyother possible hand, because 13 cards are available. So, for example,for a royal flush, the house could pay 5,000 dollars, but for two royalflushes in the same draw the house could pay a house limit such as25,000 dollars. A set of the variety of outcomes upon which betting isallowed in one embodiment includes the following outcomes:

-   -   1-Card marked through 13-Cards marked.    -   Two Pairs, Three Pairs, Four Pairs, Five Pairs, Six Pairs (pick        suite or any suite).    -   One, two, three, or four sets of Three of a Kind (pick suite or        any suite).    -   Straight; one five card or two sets of five cards.    -   One or two sets of 5-cards Flush (pick suite or any suite).    -   1 or 2 sets of a 5-card Full House (pick suite or any suite).    -   1 or 2 sets of Four of a Kind (pick suite or any suite).    -   1 or 2 sets of a 5-card Straight Flush (pick suite or any        suite).    -   1 or 2 sets of a 5-card Royal Flush (any suite).    -   1-Card marked through 13-Cards marked.    -   1, 5-card Royal Flush (any suite).    -   2 sets, 5-card Royal Flush (any suite).

This, however, is only one exemplary set of the possible bets allowedand any variety of bets on a combination of possible outcomes can beused As described above with respect to craps and roulette, any methodof shuffling can be used for simulating the game of keno with cards andmany variations of the set or sets of cards used can be employed. Thecards can either be shuffled by hand or by an automatic shuffler. Anyshuffler described above, as well as any other shuffler, can be used.Additionally, the cards can be shuffled manually. The shuffler candispense one card at a time or any number of cards at a time up to theamount of cards being drawn in the particular game. If thirteen cardsare drawn for a game, then up to 13 cards can be dispensed at a time bythe shuffler. As mentioned before, this form of simulating keno withcards can also be practiced as a video game, or a video poker game.

The selected cards for each of the games disclosed herein can berandomized, or shuffled and tracked manually or by a microprocessor (notshown) and software configured to track the selected cards as they aredrawn-Functional modules representing the various functions performed byeach system can be implemented as necessary to embody the gamesdescribed. The various modules, as can be appreciated by one of ordinaryskill in the art, comprise various sub-routines, procedures,definitional statements, hardware componentry and macros. Each of thesoftware modules are typically separately compiled and linked into asingle executable program. Therefore, the description of the modules isused for convenience to describe the functionality of the system. Thus,the processes that are undergone and the functions performed by each ofthe modules may be arbitrarily redistributed to one of the othermodules, combined together in a single module, or made available in ashareable dynamic link library.

Video display modules are used for video gaming systems and include anyvideo display device including, cathode ray tubes, liquid crystaldisplays, projection screens, vacuum tube displays, and any other typeof display. An input module such as a touch screen, a keypad, buttons orany other input device are used for player instructions andinteractions. Generally each system will have some memory and one ormore microprocessors for executing the various functions to embody thevarious games.

The microprocessor can be a general purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor ([SP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield programmable gate array (GPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor Logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.The microprocessor can be any processor, controller, microcontroller, orstate machine. The microprocessor can also be implemented as acombination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and amicroprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Specifically, the microprocessor can be any conventionalgeneral purpose single or multi-chip microprocessor such as a Pentium®processor or its progeny, an AMD Athlon® or its progeny, an Itanium®64-bit processor or its progeny, a MIPS® processor, a PowerPC® processoror its progeny, or an ALPHA® processor or its progeny. In addition, theprocessor 1005 may be any conventional special purpose microprocessorsuch as a digital signal processor as described above can be anyconventional general purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessor suchas a Pentium® processor, a Pentium® Pro processor, a 8051 processor, aMPS® processor, a Power PC® processor, or an ALPHA® processor.

The memory may include any storage medium including, but not limited to,RAM memory, DRAM memory, SDRAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROMmemory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM,a DVD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium. An exemplary storagemedium, or memory, is coupled to the microprocessor such that themicroprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thememory. In the alternative, the memory may be integral with themicroprocessor. The microprocessor and the memory may reside in an ASIC.

FIG. 6 is a top view drawing of an alternative bet that can be used ingames of chance using cards in one embodiment. Although the betsillustrated indicate use with craps, they are provided for illustrativepurposes and can be reconfigured as desired for use with other games orother types of bet can be used that may be similar to those illustrated.

FIG. 7 is a top view drawing of an alternative betting area that can beused in games of chance using cards in one embodiment. Although theexample illustrated is geared for use in craps, it is provided forillustrative purposes only, and either it may be reconfigured for usewith other games, or other similar betting areas may be designed for usewith those games. It is to be understood that any such illustrationsprovided herein are for illustrative purposes only.

FIG. 8 is a top view drawing of types of cards that can be used tosimulate outcomes in one embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates the use of acard not having numbers 810 and a card that has numbers 820. It is to beunderstood that these provide only an example of the types of cards thatmay be used in lieu of standard playing cards and that any alternatedesign or indicia may be utilized to serve the purpose herein.

The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention.It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed theforegoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many wayssuch as by personal video games, video game systems, video pokermachines or video slot machines, or the like. Many other games of chanceexist where the number of outcomes can be increased by using playingcards instead of the traditional method of selecting the random orpseudo-random outcomes and where bets familiar to people who arefamiliar with playing cards can be introduce It should be noted thatvarious automatic shuffle machines, or shufflers, are able to be usedfor the games described herein and other games disclosed and that anyreference to any particular model or patent describing certain ones ismerely exemplary and any other shuffler can be used for the purposesdescribed above. Some embodiments will use Shuffle Master's “King” modeland some embodiments will use Shuffle Master's “Ace” model for example,but any other models can be used in various embodiments of theinvention. Additionally, in embodiments played on a video screen theshuffler can simply be a module operating in the game that can randomizethe possible outcomes for each game. As is also stated above, it shouldbe noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certainfeatures or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply thatthe terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to includingany specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the inventionwith which that terminology is associated. The scope of the inventionshould therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims andany equivalents thereof.

1. A method of simulating a game of roulette using cards, comprising:using at least one shuffler to shuffle a set of cards comprising ajoker; dispensing at least one card from said set of cards to representa roulette ball landing on a roulette wheel; selecting which of said atleast one card will represent said roulette ball landing on saidroulette wheel when more than one card is dispensed; and determining anoutcome from said selected at least one card.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein said at least one card shuffler is an automatic card shuffleradapted to continuously shuffle cards and further adapted to dispense atleast one card when directed to do so.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinsaid at least one card shuffler is further adapted to accept saiddispensed cards and shuffle them with a plurality of remaining cardsstill contained in said at least one shuffler.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein said at least one card shuffler is further adapted to indicatewhen a complete set of cards is present and contained in said cardshuffler.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one cardshuffler is adapted to dispense from 4 to 6 cards at a time.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said set of cards comprises images appearingon a video screen, and wherein said at least one card shuffler is amodule adapted to randomize an order that said images representing cardsappear on said video screen.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein saidvideo screen is operably linked to a video slot machine.
 8. The methodof claim 6, wherein said video screen is operably linked to a video gamesystem.
 9. A game that uses cards to simulate a game of roulette,comprising: a set of cards having numbers and other indicia thereon; atleast one card shuffler adapted to dispense at least one of said set ofcards that represents a roulette ball landing on a roulette wheel; atable for placing at least one bet; and a selector for selecting whichof the dispensed at least one of said cards is to determine an outcomewhen more than one card is dispensed.
 10. The game of claim 9, whereinsaid at least one card shuffler is an automatic card shuffler adapted tocontinuously shuffle cards and further adapted to dispense at least onecard when directed to do so.
 11. The game of claim 10, wherein said atleast one card shuffler is further adapted to accept said dispensedcards and shuffle them with a plurality of remaining cards stillcontained in said at least one shuffler.
 12. The game of claim 10,wherein said at least one card shuffler is further adapted to indicatewhen a complete set of cards is present and contained in said cardshuffler.
 13. The game of claim 9, wherein said at least one cardshuffler is adapted to dispense from 4 to 6 cards at a time.
 14. Thegame of claim 9, wherein said set of cards comprises images appearing ona video screen, and wherein said at least one card shuffler is a moduleadapted to randomize an order that said images representing cards appearon said video screen.
 15. The game of claim 14, wherein said videoscreen is operably linked to a video slot machine.
 16. The game of claim14, wherein said video screen is operably linked to a video game system.17. A gaming apparatus for simulating a game of roulette using cardscomprising: a surface comprising a plurality of betting areas, whereinsaid plurality of betting areas comprises at least one suit bettingarea.
 18. The gaming apparatus of claim 17, wherein said at least onesuit betting area comprises four suit betting areas, wherein the suitsof said four suit betting areas are club, diamond, heart, and spade. 19.The gaming apparatus of claim 17, wherein said plurality of bettingareas further comprises at least one joker betting area.
 20. The gamingapparatus of claim 17, wherein said plurality of betting areas furthercomprises at least one top card betting area.
 21. The gaming apparatusof claim 17, wherein said plurality of betting areas further comprisesthirty six number betting areas, at least one zero betting area, a redbetting area, a black betting area, an even betting area, and oddbetting area, a 1 to 18 betting area, a 19 to 36 betting area, a firsttwelve betting area, a second twelve betting area, a third twelvebetting area, a first column betting area, a second column betting area,a third column betting area, and a joker betting area.
 22. A method ofsimulating the game of roulette using cards, comprising: shuffling a setof cards wherein at least one card of said set of cards is a joker;selecting a first card from said set of cards to represent a rouletteball landing on a roulette wheel on a first spin; determining an outcomefrom said selected first card.
 23. The method of claim 22 furthercomprising, assigning to said joker, a value of said first card, whereinsaid joker corrects a probability of selecting a second card having saidvalue; selecting a second card from said set of cards to represent theresult of a roulette ball landing on a roulette wheel on a second spin;determining an outcome from said selected second card.
 24. The method ofclaim 23, wherein said shuffling comprises shuffling with an automaticshuffler.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein said probability ofselecting is one out of thirty-eight.
 26. The method of claim 23,wherein said probability of selecting is one out of seventy-six.
 27. Themethod of claim 22, wherein said set of cards comprises images appearingon a video screen, and wherein said shuffling comprises using a moduleadapted to randomize an order that said images representing cards appearon said video screen.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein said videoscreen is operably linked to a video slot machine.
 29. The method ofclaim 27, wherein said video screen is operably linked to a video gamesystem.
 30. The method of claim 22, wherein said set of cards comprises77 cards.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein said set of cardscomprises: two of each card numbered 1 to 36, wherein each card numbered1 to 36 also comprises a suit designation of club, diamond, heart, orspade; two cards numbered 0; two cards numbered 00; and one joker. 32.The method of claim 22, wherein said set of cards consists of 77 cards.33. The method of claim 32, wherein said set of cards consists of: twoof each card numbered 1 to 36, wherein each card numbered 1 to 36 alsocomprises a suit designation of club, diamond, heart, or spade; twocards numbered 0; two cards numbered 00; and one joker.
 34. A deck ofcards for simulating a game of roulette using cards comprising: cardsnumbered 1 to 36, wherein each card numbered 1 to 36 also comprises asuit designation of club, diamond, heart, or spade; a card numbered 0; acard numbered
 00. 35. The deck of claim 34, further comprising a joker.36. The deck of claim 34, comprising: two of each card numbered 1 to 36,wherein each card numbered 1 to 36 also comprises a suit designation ofclub, diamond, heart, or spade; two cards numbered 0; two cards numbered00; and one joker.
 37. The deck of claim 36, consisting of: two of eachcard numbered 1 to 36, wherein each card numbered 1 to 36 also comprisesa suit designation of club, diamond, heart, or spade; two cards numbered0; two cards numbered 00; and one joker.